Puddle-wonderful Spring

Today at midday, I went for a drive around the block to look for signs of Spring. Where I live, my "block" is about two to three miles on a side. Here's my report:

snow melt puddle             © harrington

• There are a few, smallish puddles along the roadsides since it's now warmed up enough for the salt to work on the compacted snow and ice from our storm of about two weeks ago.
• Almost all the roadside snow has developed the late Winter, dirty, gritty look.
• A moody, gray sky looked like it wanted to do something about what we had done to the fine, bright white handiwork it had laid down a few weeks ago.
• Other than the puddles, there's no sign of open water anywhere.
• The red osier dogwoods have no more than a trace of color.
• Local aspen groves (a.k.a popple) look like they might be thinking about opening their buds, or, maybe not.
• The snow is softening and compacting.
• A southerly wind is drifting snow across some stretches of east / west roads.
• No sign of the geese yet, or, if they're back, they're awfully quiet about it, which just isn't like them.

I didn't look too hard for pussy willow catkins today because they're a bit of a challenge to spot at 50 or 55 MPH. Next time I'll try to bring a spotter so I can concentrate on driving and traffic. With a bunch of luck, we'll get some sun dogs at sun rise or set before we finish the transition from Winter to Spring. First, though, I think we need to politely ask the clouds to go play somewhere else. We, or at least I, also need to cross my fingers that the mice didn't do any serious damage to my poor little apple trees. I'll know come mud-luscious time.

young apple trees in the snow     © harrington

[in Just-]

By E. E. Cummings 

in Just-

spring          when the world is mud-

luscious the little

lame balloonman

whistles          far          and wee

and eddieandbill come

running from marbles and

piracies and it's

spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer

old balloonman whistles

far          and             wee

and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's

spring

and

         the

                  goat-footed

balloonMan          whistles

far

and

wee 

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